Expert Knowledge Required - Updating GPUs?

In the time it took to write any of those replies, you could have looked up the answer for sure, to see if your graphics card is swappable. 99.9% of the time, it won't be. There shouldn't be any conflicting info. It either has an MXM slot (or whatever it was called) or it doesn't. And if you shut your mind to Dell and HP, you are missing out on two of the best priced, well made brands on the market. Aside from Acer, there's nothing else worth the money.

A properly motivated individual can accomplish anything.

Find a vendor for the desired chip. Or, identify a laptop model that contains your desired chip and look for salvaged mobos. You can remove the chip from there. The same person who does that may very well be the person who does the next step.

Find somebody with the skill to re-integrate the chip onto the mobo.

When you tally the final cost, you will know the difference between value and worth.

Perhaps your model was sold with an upgraded vid chip. Look for a salvaged mobo from that series.

FZ21Z said:

So should the chip fail, Sony would replace the MB?

It has been my experience with HP, and Dell that if it were covered under warranty, yes they would swap the MB out.

FZ21Z said:

I've never been inside a laptop so don't know just how plausible it is to change the card or the processor.

On a laptop....not very likely. Sometimes, you can upgrade the processor of the same series, but then you'll have to hope the existing cooling is up to par. As a safe bet, 99.9% of all laptops can have the memory upgraded (unless it is maxed out), and the hard drive. That's about it.

FZ21Z said:

Ok, I'll give up upgrading my graphics, but how about the processor, could you recommend something?

This comes down to the mobo - as hobbled/not hobbled by the vendor.

Examine the range of CPUs the vendor offered with your model. You are likely stuck with that range of selection.

You also should try and find some Sony forums or something like it to see if anyone else has ever upgraded the proc in the same model laptop. At one time, many laptop vendors would actually solder in the chip, but I don't know if they still do this. It seems more likely to me that they cripple the BIOS to only accept the chip that's in it. What also works against you is the return on investment. For what you'd pay for a chip of the same line, your gains for going up 200 mhz or so aren't going to be noticeable, so it might not be worth upgrading.

It seems more likely to me that they cripple the BIOS to only accept the chip that's in it.

They do that sort of thing with their desktops too.

For what you'd pay for a chip of the same line, your gains for going up 200 mhz or so aren't going to be noticeable, so it won't not be worth upgrading.

Fixed it for you. :)

Sadly, FZ21Z, laptops are not really upgradeable.